The Next Gen: 54th Street Grill & Bar/Restaurant & DrafthouseThe Next Gen: 54th Street Grill & Bar/Restaurant & Drafthouse

This is part of the Nation’s Restaurant News annual Top 200 report, a proprietary ranking of the foodservice industry’s largest restaurant chains and parent companies.

What is it? 54th Street, to distance itself from many casual-dining competitors, has transitioned into “polished” casual dining, chief executive Michael Norsworthy said. He added that the brand has remained price competitive with mainstream chains while enhancing beer and cocktail programs and ratcheting up scratch cooking and food quality to further leverage 54th Street’s historically larger portions.

Growth drivers: Norsworthy added that “unique atmosphere and experience” also help fuel his brand’s growth because scale and cost can make it tougher for national chains to update decors or adapt to new trends or technologies, such as 29-degree beer. 54th Street creates appealing spaces using such design touches as interior accordion walls that open onto patios with water features and eye-catching 54-tap beer systems that help foster “explosive and dynamic” bar scenes, he said.

Price point: Prices range from $1.99 for house-cut fries to $21.99 for a 14-ounce, certified Angus beef ribeye; full-day, blended per-person average is $16.50.

Headquarters: Kansas City, Mo.

The figures shown in the graphic above reflect Top 200 data for the Latest Year, with a fiscal year-end of December 2017.

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